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Exclusive: THE PROM Creators Reunite to Talk Netflix Changes & More!
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Oct 27, 2022
It's almost time to dance! In just days, the magic of The Prom will live again on screen thanks to Netflix. With an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, James Corden, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, Nicole Kidman, Keegan Michael Key, Ariana DeBose and Jo Ellen Pellman, the highly-anticipated film is an adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical of the same name.
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
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One of the most eagerly awaited new films this holiday season is Ryan Murphy's Netflix adaptation of the beloved musical The Prom
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And I caught up with some of the cast and creatives to find out what made it so special for them
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Enjoy. Hey, gentlemen, how are you? Good to see you. It's almost like Broadway's back
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Oh, my God. Oh, God. You know, talking about Broadway's back, I watched the film twice
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I watched it again last night. You guys did such a beautiful job of turning your groundbreaking Broadway musical into a film
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You know, I have to add my first question is for all of you. What have you each enjoyed the most about working on the film
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So, Bob, I'll start with you. I so appreciated our show being, staying intact and, you know, making the transfer to the screen pretty well as it was on stage
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I mean, we expected, you know, in situations like that where your property is option, anything can happen
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But Ryan was so respectful. He kept it together. He didn't cut any songs
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And he allowed Chad and I to, you know, write the additional material with him
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So I'm just really, really grateful that it wasn't, you know, that he really enhanced it, I think, in many ways
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Yeah. Matt, for you. The scale of everything is just unbelievable. I mean, I'm not used to having 80 or 90 musicians play a song of mine
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Just the string section alone, just having 48 strings play unruly heart and dance with you
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and we look to you. It's just thrilling and it's very emotional. So it's been, you know, just being able to kind of experience the score being really well respected
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I mean, it's that the score feels like the score. it's just the cinematic version of it
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And that's been really wonderful. It's been really wonderful. We were in great hands with Ryan and his entire team
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I think for me, the first and set was just mind-boggling. We got there and they were doing the opening number
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and they had built a Times Square inside the studio, you know, inside this huge massive building
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and they had built Assartis across the street from it, you know
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but it was more like Asardis on steroids, you know, with turntables and chandeliers and
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And, you know, getting to meet the cast. It was just completely insane
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And I think it sort of was like a concept when we were working on the screenplay
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but when you actually get there and you're looking at this huge, massive, you know
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Hollywood musical, it just really, that day just blew my mind. Yeah
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What was the biggest pinch me moment for each of you? I mean, you all lived in the Broadway sector
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And now all of a sudden it's like, here's your show. It's now on film. I mean biggest pinch me moment Bob I start with you Merrill Merrill No No question Merrill Streep speaking words I wrote
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I can die now. It was really, really thrilling to meet her
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I love what she did. But just sitting there, you know, watching them shoot and watching her just, you know, work the material
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It was amazing. Couldn't believe it. Yeah, I think that first day on set when the three of us were there kind of
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of in our little video village and they were doing the scene after the opening number
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And I just remember looking at Bob and we just started laughing. And Bob just said that was so satisfying
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I was like, yeah, it is. It was just, they just did an amazing job
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The whole thing is just surreal and wonderful. And I'm just so thrilled that so many people are going to be able to experience it and see it
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Chad, for you. You know, nothing beats that first day, but also hearing the soundtrack
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for the first time was really exciting. Because, like, as Matt said, it was just this huge orchestra
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And just the, you know, the idea that these songs could exist on that such a magnified level was just really thrilling
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You know, let's talk about the changes that were made. I mean, the nice thing about this, you were able to open up the story
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You know, certain things are talked about on Broadway. You know, you can't add, you know, 10 other scenes into that
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Talk about the changes between the book on Broadway. and what you wanted to achieve with the screenplay
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Yeah, the adaptation allowed us to go deeper into the, basically, for the most part, Barry's backstory
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and his relationship with his mother. And in fact, the ending is slightly altered
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than it was on the Broadway stage. It just allowed us to sort of create
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an entire third storyline in a sense in our piece. We also were able to have
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the grandmother appear, Emma's grandmother, which we couldn't do on stage. So that was
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that was satisfying. It was really satisfying to allow it to depict the journey down to Indiana in the
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non-equity tour bus. So yeah, it was, it's definitely an interpretation of our work
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but I think, you know, we have been able to, as I say, enhance certain story elements that we
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really couldn't have the resources to on Broadway. on it, but my favorite part was because we really wanted Emma's grandmother to be in the Broadway show
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but it was just, you know, budget size and cast size, and Casey was like, I really don't want to see
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an ensemble member and a silver wig up there. So it was like, we were like, oh, this is, relationship is
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probably really, really interesting, but it's got to stay off stage. So it was, you know, so satisfying
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to, you know, find out what Emma's life is like, you know, when she's not at school and to see that
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you know there is this person that cares for her and that you know you know sort of is her grounding you know place to go So that was great I was because it was something we couldn do in the Broadway show
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You know, this, your musical was groundbreaking and so relevant when it hit Broadway
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But watching it again last night, I mean, the relevancy of this piece
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it reminds, like the PTA meeting reminded me of our White House and half of America
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So, I mean, it blew my mind again, just the emotional impact
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but I totally forgot about. For each of you, talk about the relevancy
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and the importance of how many people are going to be able to view this
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around the world and the relevancy of the piece today. Bob, why do we start
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Go ahead. Yeah, I mean, as I was seeing before, it's really difficult to predict the zeitgeist
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when you're creating something, you know, and it takes years. This took really 10 years from conception to this point
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So it's in a way, just luck that the film kind of sits perfectly in the zeitgeist right now
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I wish it didn't. I wish that the statement didn't have the resonance that it does
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but there's no question that in a time when we're so divided
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and to the point where we're not even listening to the other side's argument
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that this film just sort of presents a better world that's possible
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simply by listening and understanding and remembering the things that are important
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You know, the whole thing boils down to the relationship between a mother and daughter
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Make the choice, you know, understand what's important. Chad, I mean to cut you off for you
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Oh, no, I was just going to say when we were told that Ryan wanted to make the movie
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he had said, I want a gay kid in Russia to be able to turn this on
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and see their story being told and see them, you know, their experience. being valued. And that was sort of mind-blowing, you know, and definitely sold us if we
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weren't already sold because the idea that this can be seen in places where being gay is illegal
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you know, that kind of reach for our message is really exciting
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You know, in my opinion, the Broadway show didn't get to reach as many people as it should have
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So I'm just so happy that this version is out there. So on the first day, more people will be
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able to watch it and probably will than ever than saw the Broadway run combined
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So just the reach that it's going to have. And I just wanted to help people
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And I hope it brings joy and I hope it brings hope to people
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Because I think it's just a really hopeful, hopeful show and a hopeful movie
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And that moment at the end, when the two girls come together at the end, you know
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it's just beautiful. And they did such a beautiful job. And I just love how Ryan shot it
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And then we go out with this new song where your crown
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that you just kind of get to like sit in this joy for three minutes while the story still keeps moving the way Ryan cut it to picture So it really really off quite thrilling You been on an incredible journey with this I you know I was there from the very
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beginning with this and now you have a beautiful film that will go all around the world
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And like you said, anybody can watch this anywhere in the world and your message will get to them
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That must make you feel so great all of you. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Bye
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Hello, Interweb. My name is Emma Nolan, and I'm 17. You might have heard about the prom in Indiana
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I just want to go to prom like any other kid. All opposed
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I know we all have stories to tell, and here's mine. Oh my gosh, check this out
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It's all over Twitter. She wanted to take it. I could girlfriend to the high school prom
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And the PTA went apeshit and they canceled it. We have got to go down there
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And raise holy hell. We will be the biggest thing to happen in Indiana since whatever's happened in Indiana
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We have come to this community. On behalf of a young girl
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I just want to dance with you. I'm sorry. Who are you people
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We are from Broadway. We're not monsters. We're cultural disruptors
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Your beliefs are not our beliefs. You don't know this town. I thought that when my parents rejected me
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that I would never feel any worse. It never felt so long in my life
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But you're not alone. And you do have friends Where are they
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Okay people This is the part where we roll up our sleeves And we put on a prom with our own bare hands
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I just don't understand it Well I think it's brave Let's get this party started
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It's time to fill the prom For everyone show them all It can be done
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If music bears And no one cares Who your unruly heart loves
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Build it now I'm gonna take a stand For all the people out there
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Who love someone in a way The world just Doesn't understand Until that day comes
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I say to the trucks And take to the floor That's what the floor's for
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It's time to dance Okay I admit that got to me It's time to dance
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Dance. It's time to dance
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